DIY Holiday Tea Towel with Reindeer Embroidery Trim

My Mummu loves a good yard sale.  She loves going to them, she loves having them - she's even convinced my Mom and I to help schlep boxes of stuff to indoor community sales in the off season.  At our last yard sale, I noticed my Mummu was downsizing some craft supplies and I scooped up a ton of cute stuff: some beautiful lace appliques, a vintage clutch I have a plan for, and this gold embroidered reindeer trim, which I used to embellish a DIY linen tea towel for the holidays.

Supplies:

• Turquoise linen (this shade of linen is really pretty)
• Embroidered trim (not similar, but just as sparkly)
• Liquid stitch 

Because our local Fabricland was moving, they had some great deals on fabric and I bought some pale turquoise linen for 50% off.  Using our own tutorial for how to sew a mitered corner, my Mom and I quickly hemmed a simple rectangle tea towel - but you can always buy a plain tea towel to embellish.

I didn't want to fuss with sewing on the embroidered reindeer, so I decided to try Liquid Stitch instead.  

I had already washed and dried my linen, prior to sewing, so I was able to quickly get to the fun (and scary) part: gluing on the embroidery!  I hand-stitched the two lengths of embellishment together so they would line up and be easier to manage, then I placed my linen on a flat surface.  I put a plastic cutting board underneath, to protect my kitchen counter from any glue, but this adhesive is water soluble until dry so any drips washed off easily.

Following the directions, I shook the tub of Liquid Stitch well.  I spread the glue on the back of the embellishment, being careful not to bring it too close to the edges because I didn't want it to squish out.  Once I had glued everything, I went over all of the edges and anywhere it didn't seem stuck, I added a smidge more (that's the technical term) glue using a toothpick to carefully apply it.  I quickly pressed the reindeer down with my fingers and let it dry, undisturbed, for 30 minutes.  You can launder this fabric after 24 hours.  I will keep you posted on how well the glue holds over time - I am very curious about this Liquid Stitch.

I love how this turned DIY tea towel out! 

You know I'm not super festive over here, favoring "wintry" to "Christmassy" decor, but I do love the look of this glitzy tea towel in my turquoise kitchen.

If this seems like a heck of a lot of work (I hear ya), here are some cute BIY (buy-it-yourself) holiday tea towels that caught my eye: Black + White Deer Tea Towel | Gin Christmas Teal Towel | Illustrated Holiday Teal Towel  

I actually bought enough linen to make two tea towels - any ideas for the second one?

DIY Mini Potted Plant Holiday Ornament

Even though I don't put up a Christmas tree, I am smitten with Anthropologie's ornaments this year - like this one that looks like my puppers and this very beachy jellyfish ornament.  One in particular caught my eye and even inspired a knock-off DIY: this little potted plant ornament.

Isn't it the cutest gift for someone with a green thumb?  Years ago I thrifted four mini terracotta planters for an abandoned dollhouse project, so I decided to make a set of little potted plant ornaments of my own!

It took a little bit of trial and error - and in the process I accidentally smashed my fourth potted plant (another leafy one, in an unpainted terracotta planter).  But they turned out so cute, it was definitely worth the effort!



Here's What I Needed:

• Mini planters - this version has saucers - or try these mini metal buckets as a non-breakable alternative
• Epoxy or resin
• Faux flowers/leaves
• Thin ribbon or cord
• Hot glue gun
• Black glitter
• Tooth pick

How to Make a Faux Mini Potted Plant:

The first step was easy: I decided to paint two of my terracotta pots with some pale blue chalk paint.

The next step was to try and replicate the look of soil.  I made a lot of failed attempts here, but I'll tell you what worked.  I had a massive bag of black glitter from when I painted my vinyl flooring because I ended up skipping the glittery topcoat I had schemed, so I was looking for an excuse to make a dent in my epic glitter stash and glitter really replicated soil so well.

To contain the glitter, I glued a small circle of cardboard inside my planter to block the hole and keep glitter from escaping.  For the painted planters, I added a dab of paint to hide the cardboard, but that's optional because no one will see the bottom.

Next, I filled the pot with black glitter.

I would have liked to have used resin to secure the glitter and "plants," but it is so expensive!  Instead, I found a two-part epoxy at the dollar store.  It works and smells like the brand name epoxy we often use for projects, but a lot less expensive.  With my pots filled with glitter, I poured the epoxy on top and stirred it around using a toothpick.  While the epoxy was setting, I inserted some small stems clipped from some faux plants my Mummu had in her craft supply.  It required some patience to hold the stems upright while the epoxy dried but eventually the epoxy had thickened enough to keep the  plants upright.  With the epoxy still tacky, I sprinkled on another layer of glitter and set it aside to cure overnight.  In the morning, I poured off the excess glitter and was thrilled with the result!

Another idea could be to stuff the planter with a cork, or really anything you can firmly glue in there, and then just brush on some mod podge or exoxy and dust with black or brown glitter - or maybe stuff it with some air dry clay and paint it black.  There are lots of options but I used what I had on hand to save some $$$.  Plus I love the glitter, especially the way it settled just a bit with the epoxy the way soil does after you water a plant the first time after potting it.       

To hang the plants, I used a hot glue gun to secure some thin ribbon and make little slings.  If I was more patient, I might have made mini knotted macrame plant hangers - that would be really, really adorable.

And that's it!  There are lots of ways to personalize this DIY tree ornament, from painting a design on the pots, to making pots out of found objects.  It's the perfect project for using up craft scraps!

P.S. If you're looking for another easy DIY Christmas Tree ornament idea, take a look at my glittery spider ornaments and read the legend to find out why every tree needs a spider...

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DIY Felt Tomte (Scandinavian Gnomes)

My little red felted tomte (a mythical creature from Scandinavian folklore, called a tontuu in Finland and a nisse in Denmark and Norway) have been a holiday staple in my home for the last decade.  Every year I'm asked for the DIY tutorial, but they were actually a gift from my Mom.  She said the one with the dark grey hair is me, and the one with the light grey hair is Hubby, lol.  They're made in Sweden and something about their small stature and hidden faces makes them irresistible.  For the first few years we had them, Hubby would always move them to a different spot when I wasn't looking.  Even he was smitten with them... 

(I may or may not have a matching tomte table runner).

This year I decided to try making my own felted tomte to start a colorful collection.  I definitely don't think mine are as cute as the originals, but they are pretty darn adorable!

Quarter for scale (real tomte are never more than three feet tall):

Making them was pretty straightforward and  with a few simple and inexpensive supplies, you can easily whip up a batch of these for gift toppers or a fun holiday crafternoon with friends.  I found my supplies at Windsor Plywood (where they had tons of small wood hearts and little do-dads), Lowe's (they have a huge dowel selection) and Michael's (where they also had wood bits and bobs, plus a great assortment of inexpensive sheets of felt made from recycled plastic bottles).

Here's a full list of what you'll need:

Supplies:

• Small wood hearts (for the feet)
• Small wood balls (for the nose)
• Wood dowel (I used 1 1/4")
• Felt (not too thin, something with a little more substance works best)
• Wool rovings
• Wood glue
• Craft glue
• Sewing needle and thread
• Chop saw or hand saw

How to Make Tomte:

First cut the wood dowel to length.  I chopped various lengths, anywhere between 2" and 3".  Gently sand the cut edges to avoid splinters while working with the wood.

Glue one end of a dowel piece to the heart using wood glue.  Then attach the wood ball somewhere between one third and one half of the way from the opposite end of the dowel.  Let dry and set aside.

Measure the circumference of the dowel and the height between the top of the feet and the bottom of the nose.  Use those measurements to cut a piece of felt and affix with craft glue, placing the seam at the back.  Let dry.

Cut the rovings to the same length and line up with the cut ends lined up, these will be hidden under the cap.

Apply a bead of craft glue along the top of the wood dowel and affix the rovings to act as a hair and bear.  Place a small dab of glue under the nose as well.  Really press down on the rovings to ensure they are glued securely and as snug to the dowel as possible.  Let dry.

To make the hat, I didn't employ my hard earned high school math - I just cut out roughly one quarter of a circle from paper, tested it on the tomte for fit, trimmed a little and kept that as my template.  A little looser is better, because it will fit over the hair more comfortably.  With my template in hand, I traced it onto my felt and cut out the pieces.

For each hat, I held the right sides facing together and quickly stitched a blanket stitch along the edge, turned it right side out, and applied it with craft glue.

Here's what the back looked like when I was done:

And that's it!

My original tomtes are made with what looks like a leather band with "hair" already attached, making the original much tidier than my wilder gnomes.  But I do love the wacky hair and colorful garb, and I had the rovings in my craft supply stash already.  If you're making these, feel free to paint the feet, choose smaller or larger hearts, change the dowel size, chose different felt (wool would be sturdier and easier to work with), or look into doll making supplies for the hair.

There's only one stipulation: you have to let me see if you make some!  Tag me on Instagram or share a link in the comments.

Happy holidays to all my gnomies.

;)

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Easy Cranberry + "Snow" Centerpiece

While I was in Ottawa, Ashley plied me with spiked eggnog and mulled wine and that's why I very willingly helped her decorate her whole house for the holidays.  You already saw the the birch slice ornaments we made one night.  She also whipped up some gorgeous outdoor decorations and put together really simple and festive evergreen sprays for her stairwell.  Then we tackled the tree, the mantle, and set up the ornament stands I made with Handy Hubby.  Finally, we put together a simple centerpiece for her dining room table:



When we were done, Ashley's friend Amy admiringly commented that, "it looks like Pinterest in here".  Ashley is a huge fan of Pinterest and that's where she spotted cranberry, cedar and Epson salt centerpieces by Madigan Made (with the mason jar twist by Yellow Bliss Road).  Ashley had a basement full of glass jars and we stumbled across a huge jug of Epson salt - and a giant bag of fresh cranberries - at Costco one night, so this super easy DIY had to happen. 



There was such a nice ambiance when the votives were lit:

Making these was so simple:  we added some Epson salt to half the jars, inserted some cedar boughs into the center, and then filled up the rest of the jar with fresh cranberries.  We filled the other half of the jars with only Epson salt and added a candle (we substituted a tea light because it's tidier than a votive).  So easy!



Here's a shopping list to make things even easier:

Supplies:

• Epson salt (we bought a giant jug at Costco)
• Fresh cranberries (we found a giant bag at Costco)
• Mason jars (we used two sizes but you can use whatever you have)
• Tea lights
• Fresh cedar boughs (we pruned her brother-in-law's cedar hedges - aren't we kind?)
• Funnel (optional)

There's just one thing to note:  once the tea lights had burned, we noticed that the texture of the salt changed.  It started off like normal salt crystals:

But in the shorter mason jars, the heat from the candle turned the salt a different texture - kind of like clumpy icing sugar.  The "glitter" was lost, but it still looked like snow.

They still looked gorgeous!



I love this idea for an easy, last minute holiday centerpiece.

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